WWE show a smash hit with fans in Everett

EVERETT — For the first time in eight years, pro wrestling fans here got to break out their World Wrestling Entertainment gear and watch their favorite superstars perform live.

Comcast Arena was filled with fans shouting and waving signs during WWE’s RAW World Tour show Friday night.

Dave Wilson, of Marysville, remembers when his dad bought WWF tickets for his 15th birthday.

Though the franchise now goes by a different name and features different wrestlers, he was excited to share a similar experience with his kids.

Earlier this month, he surprised his son, Joe, with tickets for his ninth birthday. Wilson, Joe and his sister, Emily, 10, lined up at the arena two hours before the show started.

“I’m most excited to see how tall the superstars are in real life,” said Joe, who watches professional wrestling on TV every Monday and Friday.

Emily looked forward to seeing her favorite wrestler. “Big Show,” but said she didn’t like the WWE Divas.

“They don’t wear very many clothes,” she said.

Son Vu, of Everett, and Brett Spencer, of Bellevue, said that their shared love for professional wrestling helped them remain friends after middle school.

“It’s all about the atmosphere, the chanting. We love it,” Vu, 27, said.

The two friends said they’re not concerned with whether or not the shows are fake.

“It’s a story and they’re in character; they come out in character, they wrestle in character, they leave in character,” Spencer, 27, said. “It’s about the theme songs, the fireworks and the finishing moves. That’s what it’s about.”